This is chapter seventeen. Thank you caitlinkeitorin, Draconet, and Eddie Camp for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Seventeen: Mercy
"All right, kid, here you go."
Riun looked up at the Keyblader as he was shoved into the room. He stuck his tongue out at him. "Bullies!"
The Keyblader snorted, the ones behind him snickering. "Listen, kid, it was gracious of Master Tollun to let you stay here. He could have sent you back out into the world, where you'd be easy prey for the Knight."
Riun cocked his head to one side. "The…Knight?"
The Keyblader laughed. "Oh, you don't know what that is, do you? It's a monster; an animated suit of armor with magic and incredible strength and speed. It flies on black wings, and makes noises that aren't even relatively human."
"I heard," another added, "that it has these creepy eyes that shine behind its visor." He shivered.
Riun frowned, though fear glittered in his eyes. "Y-you're just trying to scare me."
The one Keyblader laughed. "Ha. I wish." He lifted up one side of his shirt, revealing a nasty scar. "I got this from one of the Knight's attacks. Was knocked unconscious, luckily; it kept that thing's attention away from me. When I woke up, I heard all about it from the other Keybladers. They said Master Tollun did a real good job warding it off."
"I heard that story!" another Keyblader added. "He was able to fight off the monster when the others couldn't. He was a real hero!"
Riun crossed his arms. When the others couldn't…? "I think he's tricking everyone."
The Keybladers sent angry glares in his direction. "What?"
He felt nervous under their harsh glares, but stood his ground. "Well, it seems weird that he could beat it alone, right? I think he's controlling it to make himself more popular."
The Keybladers reeled back, seemingly troubled by his logic. Then the one who'd shoved him in hear glared at him. "You're wrong. He'd never do that." With that, he and his companions left the room, slamming the door behind him and leaving Riun in darkness.
Gillick had woken up early to make sure he got back to the cart before it left. Now, he was riding along inside it once more. His eyes were closed; he had nothing better to do besides rest, and wait for the cart to reach a town.
Eventually, he felt the vessel come to a sudden halt. Finally, he thought. He was about to slip out of the back when he heard the voice of the driver ask in surprise, "What happened here?"
He heard another voice respond. "The Knight attacked. We're going to have a lot of rebuilding to do."
The merchant cart-driver sighed. "I suppose I'll take my wares to the next town, then."
Gillick sat back as the cart began to move forward, eyes watching through the opening. He narrowed his eyes at the broken buildings. The destruction here doesn't seem to be as bad as other Knight attacks. He felt a twinge in his side, and reached a hand up to hold it.
He wondered again if Silver, his quarry, was really the Knight. If she is, he thought, then it might be a good idea to stay here, and see if she comes back. He slipped out of the back of the cart, rolling to soften his fall. He felt small pricks of pain at the action, but was otherwise unharmed.
He slowly stood, eyes scanning the streets. Ok…now, to find a place to stay, he thought. His eyes slowly widened in recognition. This…this is where…
"Well, if it isn't the infamous Gillick Nogard."
The voice caught him off guard. Slowly, he turned around to see a young woman standing before him. "Who who are?"
"No one you know," the woman replied, "but I am related to someone you know."
He snorted. "I don't have time for games," he growled, trying to stalk away.
"Wait." He jerked to a stop as she caught his arm. "You need a place to stay, right? You can stay with me."
He blinked a few times in surprise. All he could say was, "What the hell…?"
"I owe you," she replied simply, tugging him along.
"How do you owe me?" he asked, and added silently, And what exactly are you planning to do to me?
She halted abruptly, causing him to almost run into her. "You…saved my father's life." She paused, then continued, "You could have killed him, but…you let him go."
Gillick stiffened. "You're…?"
She nodded. "I…know what he ended up doing to you in return for your mercy. So, I figured I should repay you for the wrong you suffered…since he never will."
He was still somewhat baffled by this turn of events. "Um…thanks?"
She suddenly spun around. "Now, listen, I don't know much about you, so here are the ground rules: No flirting with me-" Why the hell would I waste my time? "-and be nice to my husband and kids."
He nodded. "Ok…" She tugged him along again, and his wounds protested. "If you insist on having me as your guest," he growled, "then you need to go slower."
"Huh? Why?" He indicated the wounds - now bandage-less - with a scowl. She smiled, which only caused his scowl to deepen. "Well, don't worry. We'll get those patched up."
I'm putting traps around my room, he decided as he followed. However, his mind was more focused on the memory this town and this woman's words had brought to the forefront of his mind. It was only a few weeks after he'd defected to the Dark Army…
And it was a lesson he'd never forget.
"Please, don't kill me."
Gillick looked down at the man who cowered before him, Keyblade pointed at his chest. His weapon, like his armor, had changed with his shift of allegiance. It was now a deep black in color, with the shaft designed to look like bat wings. The teeth had a slightly different, though still archaic design, and the shaft was now composed of three chains. The Keychain was still a dragon, though this time it was arched up into an attacking position.
He frowned as he looked down at the man. This man had stolen from the Dark Army, and killed the person holding the item. He'd been given orders to hunt the man down, take the item back, and kill him. The order had come directly from Viril, meaning that disobeying it would be extremely dangerous.
He pushed the tip of his Keyblade against the man's skin as he tried to escape, mind still a whirlwind of thought. This man had done something bad, true…but did that really mean he had to kill him? He wondered if the same order would've been given by the Light Army…
Gillick shook his head. As he'd been told many times since joining the Dark Army, this wasn't going to be anything like the Light Army. Even though they played by similar rules, there were a few key differences.
I belong to the Dark Army. I belong to the Dark Army.
While Gillick repeated his silent mantra - it was an attempt to adjust him to the fact that his loyalties had shifted - another reason to spare the man rose in his mind:
He'd never killed before.
He'd seen plenty of death, sure; in fact, he'd seen several other Keybladers perform the deed. However, he was hesitant to do it himself.
The man was still looking at him with fear glittering in his eyes. With a sigh, Gillick release his Keyblade. "Fine."
"Th-thank you! Thank you!" the man cried, beginning to scurry away.
"Hold it." The man froze. "You have something; something that belongs to the Dark Army."
"Yeah," the man replied slowly, turning to look back at the young Keyblader with wide eyes.
Gillick extended a hand. "I'll need it back."
"O-of course. Here, take it." The man threw a small object towards him.
He caught it easily with one hand. "Now get out of here." The man was quick to comply.
Gillick sighed, looking down at the object in his hand. He guessed it was wanted for its price value, since it didn't seem to have any particular use. He slipped the item away and headed back to the Dark Army base.
Despite his change in allegiance, he found that he couldn't create Corridors of Darkness. So, instead, he was forced to trek to the nearest hidden base. By the time he got there, he was exhausted, and ready for a good long rest. So he was surprised to be met at the door by two stern-faced Keybladers. "Come with us, Gillick," one said.
"Why?" Gillick asked, immediately feeling suspicious.
"Viril wants you."
He remembered the trinket he'd been sent to get, and silently berated himself for being so stupid. "Right," he replied, following the two Keybladers. He couldn't help wondering, though, why he was getting an escort. It was almost like they were afraid he was going to escape…
Viril sat in the back of a large room. Gillick frowned to see many other Keybladers gathered around the edges. As the three entered, the leader of the Dark Army stood, walking towards the young boy, who was quickly left alone in the middle of the room, with his hands behind his back. "Do you have the item?"
"Yeah," Gillick replied, trying hard to keep the confusion and suspicion out of his voice. He drew out the item and proffered it to Viril.
The dark man took it with one hand. Behind his bangs, the glimmer of a red eye could just be seen. "And the man? Did you kill him?"
He figured it was safer to lie. "Yeah."
"Really?" As Viril spoke, a figure slunk into the light. Gillick gaped in open-mouthed surprise. The man he'd spared stood in the back. "He revealed what you did, in exchange for his life."
"So I let him live," Gillick protested. "What's wrong with that?"
"He killed someone," Viril snarled, "and it was your job to issue the punishment." He paused, then continued. "I gave you a direct order to kill him." He pulled his other hand out from behind his back quickly, revealing a whip. He jerked the weapon upwards, uncoiling it in the same instant. "And when I give you an order, you obey!"
Gillick stumbled a few steps backwards, reaching a hand up frantically towards his armor. However, he wasn't quick enough. The whip hit him with a crack, and he let out a yelp of pain. The whip rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell, cutting into him and leaving bloody furrows along his body. He fell to his knees, his hands wrapped around him, as the whip continued to strike. His lifted his amber eyes slowly, fixing them on the man in the back. His gaze was cold, and he felt his heart hardening with each strike of the whip. Next time, he would not hesitate to kill. Next time, he'd know better than to trust.
Trevor looked at the assassin. She'd slipped in silently, nearly scaring him out of his skin. "So, who do you want dead?"
"Master Tollun," he said, a subtly hint that it wasn't his idea, "wants you to kill a man named Gillick Nogard."
"Going to need a bit more than a name, hun."
He snorted, and handed over a picture. "This should work, I think."
The assassin scanned over the image, her eyes glittering with excitement. "Is he any good at fighting?"
"Yes." But he's hurt right now.
She laughed. Trevor shivered at the sound. "Perfect." She slid the paper into a pocket. She grinned wickedly at him as she pulled up her hood. "This should be fun. I'll expect the rest of my pay when I bring you his body."
"O-of course," Trevor forced out, though his heart protested. When the assassin had left, he quickly turned and left, his heart heavy and tears pricking the corners of his eyes.
There's the end of chapter seventeen. Review, please?